Another free short story, because I thought it was here, but it was only on my tumblr. (So many snippets are only on tumblr, but I'm not sure how many are worth bringing over, or would officially be "canon")

This is set sometime after the events of Little Wolf and a Mate of One's Own.

(Yes, I know. When I imported all the free reads from my old LJ to here for temporary safekeeping, the tags got messed up. I will fix it when I can.)

Chronologically, this would take place sometime after a Boy and His Dragon, but closer to the events of His Mossy Boy and Treasure for Treasure. As you will see when a certain graphic novel series is mentioned.

Yes, yes, it's been difficult for me to focus on writing lately (for my usual reasons and also US political reasons) but I have been *trying*. So for now, there is just this short, but I am working on stuff, I promise. (The story after Treasure for Treasure is still under review/submission at Dreamspinner. And I am making notes for a new weird thing.)

Meanwhile, I did this. The purest fluffest fluff to ever fluff. No, really. I know I say "fluff" and still my work will be super angsty, but this is not angsty. This is sugar and roses and lounging in the sun on a comfy couch while your S.O. pets your hair, fluff.

Sami is twenty-seven and happy to live at home with his family, even if he is a little lonely and dissatisfied with his job at a nursing home. Caring for people is what Sami does. Unfortunately, putting his loved ones first is also part of the reason Sami is single. As accepting as his parents are, he isn’t sure how they’d react if he brought home a boyfriend. So he spends more time than he should dreaming of what might be, and fighting with his younger sister over the perfect sunny spot on the couch. Which is probably why the perfect potential boyfriend chooses that moment to move in across the street.

There’s just one problem—his new neighbor isn’t really new. He’s the son of the woman Sami’s mother has had a feud with for years. Toby and Sami grew up together but were never allowed to say more than a few words to each other despite Sami’s repeated efforts. Quiet, serious Toby was Sami’s first and biggest crush, and everyone knew it—a big part of their reason their mothers didn’t get along. Toby’s mother went as far as planting dozens of thorny rose bushes around her house to ensure Sami couldn’t even see Toby anymore.

But Toby’s mother is long gone, and Toby has no interest in reviving the feud. If anything, he seems determined to end it. Finding out why, and if it has anything to do with the way he looks at Sami, means Sami will have to raise the issue with his family—and dare to step beyond the wall of roses that kept him out all those years ago.

In response to recent events, and my political posts all over the place:

There are a lot of people who feel that writers, like artists and actors, should stay out of politics. Usually, people worry about them driving away fans, I think, That is a real possibility. Fans have plenty of other options if you displease them.

But I don't like that argument. For one, art is always political. It doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's a product of its time and place, and the experiences and worldview of the person who created it. Just as how it's interpreted by fans is also political and based on their experiences and worldviews. And I know, this is genre fiction--romance--so calling it "art" feels a little silly, but each m/m romance story is still a written document. It's still a creation. It's something that could survive to another time and be examined by people wanting to discover more about our time. So I'm just gonna go ahead and call it art. :)

It's art, and it has meaning to the people who write it, and to the people who read it. You can't pretend otherwise. You can't, for example, have women claiming m/m helps them explore their sexuality but then also claim m/m is meaningless. It's art, and every choice made by the author of an m/m story is political whether they realize it or not. The age of your protags, their body types, their races, their choice of how to label themselves, their economic class, their freedom (or lack of freedom) to express their desires, their state of being Out or not to their families, even if they are a goddamn werewolf--it's political. Writers are making a political statement, even with the smuttiest smut, or the fluffiest fluff piece set in a coffee shop. Readers are making political choices when they choose certain books over others.That's just the way it is.

Beyond that, although certain people like pretend otherwise, m/m romance is a genre about an actual real life community of actual people who are in actualdanger of having their rights stripped away. M/m books have readers (and writers), male and female, who are a part of that community and are in terror right now. And a part of me feels like, if you write those books, but you aren't standing up for those people now, then you cannot be writing books I want to read.

So yeah, if you follow me on Facebook or Tumblr or on my fledgling Twitter, I am probably annoying the shit out of you with all my political posts. (Especially if you live in another country.) You might decide not to follow me anymore because of that. Or you might decide my views are too much for you, so you never want to buy my work again. That sucks for me, but it's your right.

But I can't shut up right now. I'm a nervous wreck, and swinging wildly between anger and despair as I read every day about new horrendous injustices being ordered by Evil Orange Tiny Hands and his friends, and I'd love to just ignore everything, or keep my opinions to myself. But I can't. It's not in my nature. And frankly, if you've been reading my stories, that should be pretty clear by now. :)

I'm not saying people in this community have to start shouting about Cheeto Voldemort the way I am and others are, but I am thinking that sometimes, for what I said above? The reverse is true. Sometimes not voicing your opinions or offering support in a time of crisis can cost you fans too.

So anyway. tl;dr. Sorry not sorry for all the political posts, but thank you to the people who donated and participated in both of my anti-Tiny Hands and the Axis of Evil charity drives. You guys are awesome! Also in a little bit, I should have a new story out, and part of the profits are going to go to charity again. Stay tuned!

Treasure for Treasure comes out this Monday (December 12), but I will be doing my day job hell week before Christmas then, so my promotion efforts will be limited. However, if anyone wants to ask questions or talk about it (draaagons!) I'm going to leave my Goodreads question box thingee open, and of course, there's also my Tumblr as well.

Speaking of, if you were on my Tumblr today, you might have gotten to see a snippet about the baby. Yes, THAT baby. Well, a few years in the future, so she's not a baby-baby. But... you get the picture. :) (If you honestly cannot figure out Tumblr, eventually I might post it here.)

Meanwhile, I am ready to submit the next book after Treasure for Treasure, I just have to adjust everything for Dreamspinner's new submission guidelines. But soon. Sooooon.

Writing a story that WOULD NOT END. I love the characters and all, but for whatever reason, the story took me forever to write. (It was probably my emotions in the way. I'm not one of those people who are super in touch with their emotions. Then these issues and feelings just sort of appear in my stories, and I'm like... how did that get there? aaaah.) Anyway, I would adore talking about this book with everyone, but since it contains stuff about my newest book, I suppose I will wait until you all have at least read that. (Yes, this is a tease.)

Newest book? you say. Oh right. TREASURE FOR TREASURE FINALLY HAS A RELEASE DATE! December 12, you can get it and softly murmur mine mine mine as you stow it in your pocket.

In the nineteenth century, the dragon Dìzhèn put the small coastal town of Everlasting under her protection. Her family was supposed to carry on the tradition, but all of Dìzhèn the Great’s heirs eventually left rather than live in the shadow of such a powerful dragon.

Only the youngest dragon of the current generation remains: Zarrin, the softhearted disgrace of his family. He might be weak, small, and afraid, but he is determined to show the humans they have not been forgotten… one human in particular. The problem is, Zarrin can barely get that human to talk to him.

It should be a dream come true to have a dragon trying to get his attention. But Joe refuses to bow to Zarrin like everyone else. Yes, Zarrin is sexy, oddly gentle for a dragon, and stares at Joe with a gaze so hot it makes him shiver. But hurt, mistrustful Joe can’t believe Zarrin’s promises that he’s here to stay. Joe doesn’t realize he is the treasure Zarrin has been looking for his whole life, a treasure he once let slip through his fingers out of fear. Now, to win Joe’s trust, Zarrin has to be brave and become as strong as Dìzhèn herself.

And now, pimping done, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in my little fundraiser, and gave money to worthy causes in exchange for sinppets of their choosing. You guys were awesome, and the snippets were fun to do. The charities thank you. <3<3<3<3

And because I have been editing and working on difficult story (it's so painful but good but painful, you guys) for weeks and weeks now, my brain glomped onto this idea like nobody's business. So. Everyone gets a story, which is fun at least.

(And before I forget, no release date on Treasure for Treasure yet. But there will be a sale on a set of Beings stories in October at Dreamspinner. And yes, I am still working on the book after Treasure for Treasure. (It hurts, but it's also soft and gentle, I swear.)

Anyway. Back to dragons who hoard stories.

This story references some ideas and things from books that haven't been released yet, so sorry if that is confusing. Just know that Redwolf and Rum is a graphc novel series about a werewolf, written by an actual werewolf, and that modern dragon families are little... weird. (Plus, like, doesn't the world need more gay dragon regency romances????)

Too many stories and not enough stories, thousands upon thousands of them in the room as they were in Edgar’s mind. But to others it was hushed, and the crackle of the fire was peaceful, so they would often come to sit on the couch and listen to him talk about stories as if they believed what humans did—that storytellers were Seers. That was why Edgar was shown respect although he was a dragon with no treasure of his own.

But he certainly didn’t feel wise or all-seeing. He felt slow and foolish, half-lost in a graphic novel about love and unable to pull himself completely free.

(It's a bit late. I had a bunch of stuff going on at once, and I apologize.)

In between Treasure for Treasure getting accepted, and A Dandelion for Tulip coming out, and audiobooks and blog tours (never again with the blog tour. I don't think it's a format suited to someone who takes things too seriously and makes terrible first impressions), and real life, I released a short little story onto Amazon. It's called Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter.

I'm not going to pretend it's deep, because it isn't. What it is (to me) is a soft tribute to the books of short romantic stories Lucy Maud Montgomery used to write. But, you know, gay. And set now. (I grew up with her books, and some of those shorts in her collections have influenced me so much. Seriously. I always tell people, A Dinner of Herbs explains so much about my writing style. And someday, just imagine a collection of sometimes funny, sometimes sad, gentle, kind queer love stories in that style. SIGH.)

Anyway. Obviously LMM didn't write a slightly kinky relationship between a small town firefighter and a librarian, but she did like to show bullies in all their pettiness, and that is an inspiration here, too.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I should just link to the book and post the blurb, and I will. But I wanted to talk about it a little first, because I ignored it for so long. My quiet story about the scent of jasmine, and two very lonely people who are in fact quite similiar, even though on the surface no one would ever think that. They are so good and brave with each other, but (hopefully) realistically brave. Because everyone has fears and nerves, and some have them for really good reasons, and it's so wonderful to me when people who are struggling try and then find that someone loves them. I just... smiles, you guys. It gives me such smiles. So that's what I wanted, and that's what I wrote. A gentle story about two dorks who might seem to be put together, or unobtainable levels of hot, but who are, in fact, just nervous dorks who really, really like being around each other.

Of course, we don't live in an LMM world, so small town bullies are a little less petty or thoughtless, and a little more outright unfeeling and terrible, but this is R. Cooper's world, so our dorks get a happy ending anyway, and the bullies get to see themselves portrayed in a story, being as horrible as the rest of us know they are.

<3

To help out his sister, Scott moved to the small town of Montgomery, where there isn’t much to do and no one for him to date. Well, there’s one other openly gay man in town—Henry ‘Cole’ Porter, a widower who runs the school library, but after one drunken night together, Cole has kept his distance. Scott is used to that. He spends a lot of time working out to look good, and from the slow way he talks and the frat house atmosphere at the fire station where he works, it’s easy to assume he’s stupid. Most people are happy to admire his body and assume that’s all he wants from them, and deep down, Scott is too afraid to try asking for more.

Which is why sweet, romantic Scott has been secretly pining after Cole for months when some of the town’s nosier residents decide Cole has been single long enough. They have a plan to throw every successful, smart, professional gay man in a thirty-mile radius Cole’s way, whether he likes it or not. Their list of candidates doesn’t include Scott, and Scott’s insecurities prevent him from stepping forward—even when it seems as though Cole is asking him to.

Cole is everything Scott isn’t; highly educated, stylish, with refined tastes. He’s also stubborn and sarcastic, and not nearly as smart about the workings of his own heart as people might think. It might take a lot of the wrong men for him to realize the right one has been in front of him all along.

I've noticed some people reading Beings books lately, along with some comments that lead me to think some people are confused. Or maybe just not the sort of people to dig around in my old posts to find information. Which is fair. I mean, I probably should build a website, but then I'm like, I'm not the sort of big name author who needs one. (Also, I'd rather be writing then doing building things or promoting things. It's true.) I do have my livejournal/goodreads reposts, and my tumblr, where things are (mostly) tagged. But yeah, I do need to set something up for that. SIGH. In the meantime...

THE BEINGS 'VERSE EXPLANATION POST!!

Q: What is the Beings 'Verse?

A: Imagine a world just like ours, but where the magical creatures of legend (like fairies and elves and werewolves) are real, and they live openly (for the most part) with humans. But, they haven't always done so. The creatures, referred to by humans as beings, only came out of hiding when they were forced to. This happened in Europe during World War I, and panicked humans were not very accepting, so most beings live on the fringes of mainstream human society. They are idolized for their beauty and power, but also feared and mocked. Humans also do not distinguish much between the legends around these creatures and the reality of them. Over time, even the beings aren't sure about themselves.

All cultures have these creatures, and different histories with them. Some clearly worshiped their beings as gods or something godlike. Others revered them. Others told stories about encounters with them, where the beings could be benevolent or cruel or loving or petty--you know, just like humans. This is where fairy tales come from.

But then, as humans grew in strength and numbers, they stopped taking such care with these beings. They destroyed the forests where they lived, or drove the werewolves from their lands. Many of these humans, especially in Europe, when Christianity/the Church became a dominant political force, and then through colonization and imperialism, became a dominant force in most other countries, outright rejected the beings. Because the beings are different. They love indiscriminately. Some of them are naked. Their morality has its own rules. They view things like gender, and sexuality, in ways that these humans did not want to understand. So the humans called them evil, or banned the stories of them, and they did the same to humans who were similar to the beings.

But, when those cruel, powerful humans brought war to the entire globe, the beings had no place left to hide. Of course, some had never hidden in the first place, or had continued on as they were under the noses of European occupiers, but that is a story for another time.*cough*

Some of the beings remember their history, and others do not. Because they aren't represented accurately (or sometimes at all) in human media, many of them now believe the horrible things said about them. Others are fighting to prove what they really are. Alongside these beings, you have the humans who are like, or who love them.

Q: Are you some kind of nerd?

A: Yes. Obviously.

The Books:

Q: How many books are there?

A: 6 as of now. 7 is on its way. I am working on 8. (I started it this week! Aaaah!)

Q: Do the books need to be read in order?

A: No. They are written as standalones. HOWEVER, I do think people will understand certain references better if at least some of the books are read in the order they were published. AND, there are moments with recurring characters and themes that will make more sense if you've read everything. But no, it's not necessary to have read, say, Some of Kind of Magic before you read A Boy and His Dragon or Little Wolf. (In fact, I don't think most people do.)

Book 1: Some Kind of Magic

A novella set in Los Cerros, a town with a significant being population, and which is considered a liberal town for that reason. A werewolf protects the things he loves, even from himself, if necessary. Features Ray Branigan, who is only the second being to ever make detective in Los Cerros. It also features lots of prejudice against beings, especially werewolves and fairies. Prejudices so strong even the beings have started to believe them. (Bad, Ray! Very bad! That is no way to treat your mate!)

Book 2: A Boy and His Dragon

Set in Madera, about an hour away from Los Cerros. About a human boy with a noble heart, and the nerdy dragon history lecturer who adores him. Humans have lost the language to communcate with beings, so it takes our human boy, the lovely Arthur, some time to realize what a dragon might mean by calling him treasure.

Book 3: A Beginner's Guide to Wooing Your Mate

Wolf's Paw, a town several hours from Los Cerros, is a town run by, and for, werewolves. If you're a human wizard, you might not feel very comfortable there. If you're a shy werewolf, you might feel like a bit of a failure for not getting your mate to love you. This story really starts to explain the idea of mating as werewolves view it. (Ray isn't really the explaining things type.) This is important because of

Book 4: Little Wolf

In which the toxic ideals about how werewolves ought to act have traumatized a young were to the point where he cannot recognize the mate in front of him. I cannot with this story. The real concept of mating (and treasure, and shine, and true love) finally starts to become more clear. It helps when you have a werewolf who acts more human than wolf.

(Book 4.5: A Mate of One's Own. A short story about Zoe, Little Wolf's friend, and her discovery of her mate.)

(Little Prince--a silly short version of Little Wolf I did, in which they are not werewolves. Very silly.)

Book 5: The Firebird and Other Stories

HOLY SHIT. Okay. This book... this book is readable without the other ones, but I personally would advise reading it after you have at least read one or two of the others. (I know some people didn't do that and still enjoyed it. But I'm just saying, it was written as I was writing the other stories and there are some tie ins.)

Basically, this book of short stories is about the beings shortly after they emerged from hiding, to the present day. Has lots of cameos, and except for two of the stories, is set in Los Cerros. LOTS of ideas about love and mating and hope in this story, which is good because there are a lot of horrible things humans have done to each other (and to the beings) throughout history. That hope is so, so necessary.

(Book 5.5: Frangipani and the Very Shiny Boy. A short story about a fairy desperately trying to get a boy's affection.)

Book 6: A Dandelion for Tulip

Back in Madera, with a human who is finally attempting to discover the real history between humans and beings, and the fairy who loves him. Further explores the idea of shine. Features a lot of callbacks to the ideas from the previous stories. And some cameos. Were you curious about fairies? Well this is the book for you, then. :)

Book 7: Treasure for Treasure

In which there is a small town that belongs to dragons--even though the dragons seems to have forgotten about it. One small, very determined dragon is going to have to prove to everyone that he will properly care for this treasure.

Book 8: (Well, wouldn't you like to know?)

And that is it for now. I do actually have a Beings 'Verse timeline in my notes, but it's incomplete, so in the future, I might repost all this and add it. I was also going to talk about Hottie Scotty and Mr Porter, but they are not beings, so I won't for now. Maybe this weekend.)

Look, I, uh, am supposed to be doing this promotion stuff right now. There's a lot to promote. However, to be perfectly honest, with all the crying/raging/feeling sick to my stomach I've been doing all week, I don't have the energy to do it well or without feeling tacky as shit.

But, at the same time, what I've been doing for the past few days is talk about stories and discuss online comics and analyze every single moment of books/pairings/series I love with other people, and... the distraction helps. Or maybe that's how some writers and book nerds and daydreamers deal with horrible things.

I mean, I was shouting at and then blocking assholes online for a while there. And then crying with friends, and just... yeah. But for some of us, fantasy is a weird coping mechanism. Making up headcanons about characters who aren't mine, and being silly stupid in love with all of them, and imagining how their stories might play out is just... so oddly comforting.

So to make my publisher happy, and also maybe for anyone who wants to know, or just likes fantasy romance as a distraction, I'm just going to list some promotional stuff today. Not-quite Arthur style.

This weekend (June 17-19) Dreamspinner is offering three of my titles (Dancing Lessons, Play It Again Charlie, and Wicklow's Odyssey) for 99 cents (each? I think?) on the new Dreamspinner website. (Of those, Wicklow's Odyssey is the one I like to make up headcanons about the most. Idk why. But Charlie and Will have so many AU versions of them)

Next week, A Dandelion for Tulip comes out. I got my paperbacks in the mail today. I'd completely forgotten about them. So, June 24th, all the fluffy, yearning boy-meets-fairy you can stand. Book Six in the Being(s) in Love series.

Speaking of, Dreamspinner just today accepted what will be Book Seven. Treasure for Treasure. Yes. That is the one involving the sugarbaby dragon. :)

I wrote a short story/novella and will self publish it soon. I'm just waiting on a cover, and then a bit more free time so I can format it. Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter will probably go on sale on Smashwords and Amazon for a short amount of time, and then just Amazon for a while.

What else? (All this stuff happens at once) Oh, the Beings series is going to be translated into French, apparently. That's cool.

I will be messing about on my Tumblr for the weekend after Tulip comes out, as usual, if people want to join/bug me. :)

And oh. I am doing a blog tour (Which, now that I've done it, I'm not sure I would do it again. It's like speed dating in author bio form, and I am much too awkward for things like that.) But, here are the dates for my posts. Some of the sites might do reviews as well? I'm not really sure how it all works.

June 17 - MM Good Book Reviews

June 23 - Alpha Book Reviews

June 24 - Divine Magazine

June 26 - Love Bytes

June 28 - The Novel Approach

June 30 - Long and Short Reviews

Yes, I did a different post for each one. And no, they probably don't make much sense. Especially toward the end. But there are some excerpts and me musing about fairies and shine and why I write the Beings, and things like that.

So I hope everyone is safe, and can find something somewhere to give them comfort. if it's my cheese, that's awesome, but if it isn't, I get that too.

And now I leave you with the cover, because these sweet, romantic fools are so not my usual dorks at all.

So.... I got a little obsessed with something I was working on and disappeared again. It's a thing I do, and it's how the stories Come to Be, but if you ever want to bug me or just pop in and lurk to see what I am doing, you can always go check out my Tumblr. Sweetfirebird

Lots of randomness happens over there in the strange lands of tumblring. Mostly I reblog geeky things, or fannish things, or ranty liberal things, and in between I make comments about what I am currently working on. Also people sometimes Message me or send me Asks about book stuff, which you are all always free to do. (You could also do this on Goodreads, or here, or Facebook, but that seems to be pretty rare. And I don't think LJ even notifies me about messages. Sigh.) Anyway. The Tumblr. You can even ask stuff anonymously if you want.

All right. Now. back to deets, which is very important they tell me.

The next book in the Being(s) in Love series is coming out at the end of June. A Dandelion for Tulip is released on June 24th. What's it about? Well, there is a doctoral student named David, who is so very much in love with a fairy named Tulip. But, Tulip doesn't date humans.

Of course, there's a reason for that. But poor David doesn't know it. And he isn't going to ask, because of some past heartbreak of his own. It's, um, a little awful, to be the kind of noble, pure soul who attracts Beings and who shines in every fairy's eyes. (I mean, ask Arthur. He'll tell you. It means more than you being nice or kind, it means you are brave enough to continue trying to be a good person, and that... is one of the most painful things you can do. The shiny ones are in such need of a fairy's care. It's a shame that some fairies are incapable of staying for long, but can make you feel like they might.)

(Also, I should point out for those own/want to own the paperbacks, the paperback preorders are on sale right now.)

Aaaaanyway. I submitted my sugarbaby dragon to DS and I'm waiting to hear back. So that would be the next Being(s) novel if they like it. Dragons!

In other Beings news. The Little Wolf audiobook is available on Audible. Apparently, it is 19 hours long (hotchi motchie!) and from what I've been told, the narrator had complete fun with it. I, of course, turn into a weird anxious baby when it comes to things like that and can't actually listen to the audiobook.

(If audiobooks *are* your thing, however, Dancing Lessons is now also available in audiobook form, also at Audible. And no, I haven't listened to it either. Someone tell me if it has a soft Chico.)

And, uh, I just finished something that was going to be a short something, but of course went a little longer because it's me. I hope to put it up on Amazon soon. Basically... me rereading my beloved LMM short stories, and thinking, oh wouldn't one of those be great, but set now, and queer, and maybe a bit kinky? Hmm. Not sure I succeeded there, but I did try. That should count for something.

And now for something completely different:

On a personal note, as someone who does NOT like discussing private matters (and who considers almost everything private), and who is also intensely anxiety ridden in social situations, I have a very small group of real llife and in person (not internet) friends, and one of them, knowing me, and just being supportive and lovely in an unspoken way, sent me a link to the Pride Converse. And while I have issues with commercialism in general and in this area, (and pieces of canvas costing $60-70) I also love Converse, and am one of those demi/bi what-have-yous--which is obvious if you know me, but not something I really talk about for the above reasons (and you know, to be left alone at work and not have my hours reduced etc). Anyway, the link was intended as a 'I know. I love you. And these shoes are cool, you could maybe get some?') and I am just so pleased and have been quietly atwitter about it all day today. So. Sharing.

NOW LET'S NEVER TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN. FEELINGS? WHAT ARE THEY? I DO NOT KNOW.

I am going to put more cherries in my ginger ale and read silly hockey boys in love.

Sorry, everyone! I did the thing where I wanted to finish what I was working on, and I basically just did that and the day time job full time nonstop until it was done.

Which it is now. Although I am forcing myself to take a break before I edit. This is very difficult for us obsessive types, but it Must Be Done. (Or so they say.) I suppose I should attend to all those real world errands and necessities I was putting off in the meantime. Oops.

But you know, adorable sugarbaby of a dragon and his sensitive artist treasure. Like, I HAD to finish them. (And then I got mentally sidetracked a bit by some of the additional characters and randomly paired them up even if they don't speak to each other in the story aaaah the things my brain does.)

Anyway. So while I was finishing Joe and Zarrin's story (Treasure for Treasure is a good title, right? Adorable.) I got some other news. Dancing Lessons will be getting an audiobook! I think I was told it would be released in June. Or July. :) Either way, that is awesome. I also got to see the cover for A Dandelion for Tulip, the next in the Being(s) in Love series. Sadly, no nakedness on the covers, so this fairy will be dressed. (He wouldn't normally be, though. Just fyi. Tulip is like the old kind of fairy. The kind in story books.)

I wish I had more to say. My brain is still in Everlasting right now though. (Everlasting being the town that belongs to dragons. Not that there are any dragons around anymore, except one. The youngest dragon is the soft-hearted disgrace of the family, but determined to show the humans they have not been forgotten... okay... one human in particular at first and then the rest of the humans. One pretty human who he can barely get to talk to him. Which is so distressing. How does one talk to humans? What does it mean when they frown at you and give you presents? Why will the pretty human not accept *his* presents? Humans are so maddening.)

Hopefully, I will have more concrete information in at my next update. And maybe snippets or something now that I can take a small break for some fun stuff. (I wish I had more dragons, because creating a sub-series within the beings series called The Dragons of Everlasting would be amazing.)

I confess, while the commercial nature of St Valentine's Day bugs the crap out of me, and I hate the feeling of obligation it creates, I loooove the cheesier aspects of it. For real, my old job involved decorating for Valentine's Day and helping people plan and decorate for it, and making everything look like a streamers-and-hearts pink-and-red middle school dance is so much fun. Also, I adore boxes of chocolates. The good kind though. (See's is my favorite). The kind that, sadly, rarely comes in cheesy heart-shaped boxes. I even like flowers and roses--although no so much the red roses unless the smell is good.

But, since no one expects me with my serious little face to enjoy those things, people don't think I enjoy the day. Consequently, I will be doing nothing this Valentine's Day but eating chocolates I bought myself, drinking champagne, and talking about silly romance stuff over on Tumblr. If anyone wants to watch that, or chat with me, they are welcome to. <3

(Okay, I will also be trying to do some of my actual writing that day. Until the champagne kicks in anyway.)

If that's not your cup of tea, but you still want to watch me talk nonsense about romance stuff, I will be making a blog post on the Dreamspinner Press blog on February 23. I'm thinking I will talk about fairy tales or something similiar and you all can talk or ask stuff or whatever. :) This, of course, will be to promote The Winter Prince.

(Guys, I am nervous about that one. It's one of those stories that I know won't be popular, but I do adore those characters and I get nervous for them like they're real. Sigh. They are my fav kind of stupid dorks with all the pining, but at least they get the excuse of being young when they made their dumbass decisions, and then we get all that glorious yearning and boys being stupidly noble.)

In other news, been looking for a narrator for Zeki and Theo for A Beginner's Guide to Wooing Your Mate audiobook, and Dreamspinner, which has been doing ebook bundle specials by theme or author, wants to do a Being(s) in Love set in October. Some Kind of Magic through The Firebird. !!!! Yaaaay! Hopefully if I finish my current project soon, it would be released around then. Meanwhile, Tulip's story will be out in June or July. :)

Um. Did I actually mention The Winter Prince's release date? Aah, I am terrible at this. It comes out on the 24th of February.

Description:

His heart stolen by a powerful pari’s magic, a young prince’s veins slowly fill with ice. That is what the stories say. Three years have passed since, and all efforts to save Kisin have failed. He won’t survive another winter. To save the prince’s life, Razin, the court wizard and Kisin’s childhood friend, plans to seek out the pari. But unbeknownst to Razin, Kisin’s heart was never stolen; he gave it freely to escape the pain of impossible love—his love for Razin.

Razin won’t accept Kisin’s fate, for reasons obvious to anyone who knows anything of love. Kisin agrees to the desperate quest, out of duty and a need to protect Razin. But it isn’t long before Razin realizes saving his prince will require more than simply retrieving his heart. Razin will have to convince him to want it.

(Or, as a friend on Tumblr described it, sort of a Snow Queen meets Beauty and the Beast.)

Feel free to come visit with me at either event. Or both. (Does tipsy blogging on Valentine's Day count as an event? Hmm)

Soooo guess who is finally writing again?! This girl! (It started out about a grumpity dragon and then somehow my haughty, arrogant dradon turned into an adorable little powderpuff, and that human needs to stop being so stubborn already and cuddle the loneliness out of him. Aaah sorry. The story is new and Zarrin the dragon needs so much love. It's okay though. Joe the human acts cranky, but he's just as lonely. Aw, babies.)

It will be slightly slower going than usual, for work reasons, and I have to get back in the swing again. But it's happening! I'm very excited. It's been too long since I've had a real story to work on. I guess I needed my lonely dorkbabies.

At least I did a lot of writing last year, which is about to pay off, well for you guys anyway. (I got my pay off when I wrote them.) Dancing Lessons is going to come out in about two weeks. January 20, in fact. Another story I needed to write, even if I don't really know why. (Well I do. Rebuilding your life in a new town, feeling sad and uncertain, just like Chico. I needed to talk about it.)

Dancing Lessons is a contemporary story, with no magic in it. I write those occasionally. Weird, I know. It does contain a fairy tale however. Imagine a senstive little pretty thing, his self-esteem destroyed by a jerk ex, scared to try again, encountering the flirtiest of flirty dance teachers, who is also patient and charming and aaahhh. And who makes him laugh.

I don't know how to celebrate it. Q&As on Goodreads don't seem popular, and Tumblr seems to scare people. I'll have to think about it.

Then, in a month, you get another story. This one has all kinds of magic, although it is not a beings story.

The Winter Prince. I confess, this is a personal favorite of mine. I don't know how popular this will be, considering it's fantasy, and not urban fantasy but fairy tale-ish fantasy. But aaah, I just love it. There is a noble prince, who is missing his heart. A prince who perhaps gave it away to a beautiful pari, and now must have it back, or he will die. And there is a quest. And there is a wizard, clever and brave, and so, so devoted to our prince.

They are so lovely I can't stand it. But, they're mine. So they're also complete dorks.

I thought that was all the news I had for you, and such good news it is. (Writing again! I'm so happy with myself! Yay brain! Thank you!) but today I received an email telling me Dreamspinner would like to publish Tulip's story. Oh my patient, patient Tulip. He's waited so long. I don't have anymore details yet. You guys are so awesome, btw, putting up with all these different sorts of places the beings keep taking me to. I love you.

Ehonauta over on Tumblr requested a Hanukkah snippet, and my brain gave her fluff between Eli and Riley from Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home. It's probably not what she was looking for, but it's pretty sugary if anyone is looking for that in a Hanukkah-themed snippet.

Uh. Well. I have mood issues anyway that tend to get in the way, but I guess I had a really productive year, and the past two months my brain decided to take a vacation. Not entirely sure it's fully back online, but I finally (FINALLY) wrote a little something the other day, and I feel so much better about everything. I might even submit Tulip this month if I can find the time.

Although, you guys might have things to say about that one. If anybody is still reading the Beings by that point (months from now, if it gets accepted), you are most likely to going to demand stuff about the side characters. One or two in particular. Ahem.

In other news, both Dancing Lessons (out in January) and The Winter Prince (out in February, I think) have covers. AND Little Wolf (that little punkbutt) is getting an audiobook. Pity the narrator who has to read all that mate on mate werewolf action. Poor man.

Wanna see the covers?

I'm partial to the Dancing Lessons one, although I am most eager for The Winter Prince to come out, because I wantneedwantneed to talk about it with people. I don't know why. But Razin is a precious cinnamon bun. (Before you ask me, it's Rha-seen. Like the softest pronunciation ever. Because he is a cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure.)

Also Tulip. (Tentative title is A Dandelion for Tulip) Ah. Tulip. So patient. So shiny.

I should really stop writing stories about mutual pining but you can't make me, so there.

That's really it with me right now. Tryng to get through the holidays, wondering what will inspire me next. Will it be Zarrin the dragon and Joe, the hot barista who continues to pretend he doesn't know who Zarrin is even though he is a dragon and it's TERRIBLE? Will it Flor? Or Clem? Two very, very different fairies who need love? Albert? Will my brain want to skip the beings for a while and go on to Space Boyfriends? (Have I talked to you guys about Space Boyfriends? It was a Tumblr thing.) Hmm Flor is another cinnamon bun. I'm not sure who is good enough for him. Decisions!

The point is: I never know. But hopefully I will be back in the swing of things soon. And oh, I will try to edit that silly Will and Charlie Alternate Universe Christmas story I did last year so it's more readable.)

((And before I go, I just need to say, to one person on GR and Tumblr you know who you are... *hugs. because FEELINGS oh god so many feelings and now I run away*))

Happy Halloween! (When you are on Tumblr, Halloween is at least a month long, maybe longer.)

Anyway, it's my favorite time of year, so STORY.

A powerful witch, Piotr Russell has resigned himself to loneliness, because ordinary humans can’t know what he is, and other witches are intimidated by his abilities. Generations of Russells have lived and died with only their familiars at their side. The presence of a friendly familiar is enough to keep even the loneliest witch sane, and yet Piotr deliberately hasn’t chosen one. He forces himself to keep busy instead, but the emptiness of his house haunts him even more the spirit of Great-Great-Aunt Elysia in the parlor. With Samhain and Halloween approaching, he’ll have much to do, and knowing that, his concerned coven seizes the chance to intervene and sends help to his door in the form of Bartleby Dorchester.

The rarest of rare jewels, Bartleby is a human familiar: a witch with no magic of his own, and a desire to find a strong witch to help and serve. In particular, he desires to help and serve Piotr, and everything in Piotr wants to let him. Bartleby was meant to be his familiar; Piotr knows it as surely as he knows when it will rain or when the apples in his garden will ripen. But what Piotr wants from Bartleby, all he’s ever wanted, is for Bartleby to love him, something he thinks is impossible.

Russells live and die unloved, and he won’t allow Bartleby to feel obligated to spend his life with him as his familiar if he could be happy in love with someone else. But Samhain is a time for change, when walls come down and borders grow thin, and Bartleby isn’t going to waste what might be his last chance to convince Piotr that they were meant to be. He might have no magic, but love is a power all its own.

A Little Familiar --Smashwords link (Please be aware I am going to take it down from Smashwords in a week or so, and then go Amazon exclusive for the 90s days and then probably put it back on Smashwords.)

You guys. Honestly. You guys. You wonderful goobs who ran out and read The Firebird and Other Stories right away, and then asked me all the nerdy awesome questions about it! :):):) <3 I hope the love outweighs any trauma. And as always, if you really want to know something, or just want to ALL CAPS TALK ABOUT SIMON'S FASHION CHOICES OR RENNET MY DARLING OR YELL AT ME FOR DESTROYING SOULS, or whatever, feel free to message me. I'm available basically everywhere but Twitter.

In other news, The Winter Prince was accepted. Yaaaay! This is basically a fairy tale, about a prince who gave away his heart to a magical creature, and now has to get it back, or he will freeze to death without its warmth. (It helps that he has the court wizard along, who might be, you know, the kind of person who would make him feel things if he still had a heart.) So that should be out next year. I don't have specific dates yet, but Dancing Lessons should come out in January (ish) and then The Winter Prince in February or March.

No, neither of those stories involve beings. But in a way, they both involve fairy tales, so there is that. (Dancing Lessons is contemporary. About emotionally fragile Chico (Sheeco) with his big brown eyes, and clever, shameless Rafael, the dance teacher who would really, really like to love him.)

I, um, also wrote a short thing to release on Amazon for autumn/Halloween. It's pretty simple. I wanted a fluffy story about pumpkins and crunchy leaves, but what I got is a powerful, lonely witch and this dork who may or may not love him. There might also be a ghost and a talking raven.

There is definitely a ghost and a talking raven.

Yeah. So that will be around in the beginning of October. Probably just on Amazon at first, because they make covers for you, and I can't afford to pay an artist what they are worth.

Anyway. This is mostly for the seven of you who like me. (I feel like Sally Field right now, if that's not too old of a reference to make.) Thank you! You guys are awesome! Your reactions to the Firebird are truly fantastic. <3

Sorry I've been so lacking in updates! I was working feverishly to finish two different projects. (And I did, so yay me! The Winter Prince, a fairy tale, and a story for Halloween that I was going to put on Amazon, but it turned out a little different than I was expecting. So we'll see about that one. But it's so gonna have a familiar pun in the title. Because puns! Overly Familiar sounds good, right? Something.)

But this post isn't about them. This post is about some stories about Beings. Specifically a handful of short stories about Beings throughout the last century, from shortly after they first came out of hiding, to about now. You may have heard me mention these shorts before. I've been working on different ones for *years* now. And now here they are. Eeeee!

Magical creatures known as beings emerged from hiding amid the destruction of the First World War. Since then they’ve lived on the margins of the human world as misunderstood objects of fear and desire. Some are beautiful, others fearsome and powerful. Yet for all their magic and strength, they are as vulnerable as anyone when it comes to matters of the heart.

A firebird in 1930s Paris is drawn to a writer with a haunted past. Upon returning from fighting in the Pacific, a jaguar shifter finds a third-gender human on his doorstep. Early rock ‘n’ roll DJ Hyacinth the fairy shocks his listeners with his admiration for his quiet assistant. During the AIDS crisis, a gruff, leather-wearing troll dreams of a settled life with a mixed-species elf across the bar. An imp, who remembers only too well how cruel the world can be, tells himself he’s content to stay behind the scenes—if only his chaotic, impish magic would stop getting in the way. And a shy human tending his poisonous and carnivorous plants is convinced no one will ever want him, certainly not the handsome werewolf grieving for a lost mate. Human or being, all must overcome fear to reach for love.

Guys, I can't even tell you how cool it is, and how honored I am, that Dreamspinner agreed to publish a book made up entirely of short stories about my magical failboats in love. This is something I would never have dreamed of. In a way, it's my own little book of fairy tales and I am a super giddy dork about it. (No, really. I was distracting myself with writing projects, and now they are done, and I am basically flitting around giggling about this to myself. Like a weirdo.)

To celebrate the release day, Friday, September 18th, (a day, sadly, I will be working at the day job) I have queued up a whole bunch of interesting pictures and songs and posts of subjects relating to the short stories. I've queued up so many, in fact, they will probably last into Saturday as well. If you're interested, check out my Tumblr. That's me, sweetfirebird. (ahaha my name will finally make sense to people.)

In addition to that nerdy party, on Saturday night (the 19th) I will be on Tumblr to answer any questions people might have, or if they just wanna hang out, or talk about non Beings things. I might even be tipsy on champagne, so obviously that is when people should ask anything they want to know. ;) Chatting on Tumblr is odd because of the format, but you can easily visit my askbox and say hello. It's the link that says Ask Me Anything. (But FYI I live in California, so I am on Pacific Coast time.)

In addition to *that*, you can always ask me stuff on Goodreads at the Ask the Author link. Just keep in mind that Goodreads does not notify me of questions in a timely way, so sometimes my responses will be slow unless I have Goodreads open in a tab--which I likely will that Saturday and Sunday.

This is so exciting!

And ooooh before I forget, Some Kind of Magic is now available on audiobook! SO MANY BEINGS! WE'RE SURROUNDED! Nerdy Beings party! History dorkiness! and Kazimir! My diva!

I'm at that awkward place where there is what I should be doing... and my brain is saying nuh uh. I finished Tulip, but the beta and I think it might need another scene, and then the way it was constructed means it needs a second half from a different POV. But then I think all the other story ideas I have floating around and I want to do them all and also none of them. Those writer feels. Winter Prince? This vague sex chat/Cinderella ish story? The rake and the lamb?--which involves neither a true rake or a true lamb and miiiight take place in the same universe as the dancer story I was compelled to do a month ago.

Did I tell people about that? I randomly had this MIGHTY NEED to write about a somewhat broken, not as fragile as he seems Chico (that's a Portuguese Chico, not a Spanish one) and a flirty dance teacher. So that happened. And Dreamspinner decided they liked it. So it's working title was Dancing Lessons and it's novella length, and should be coming out next year. January, I think?

Yay! Even if I don't really know where that story came from. (I'll find out later. I always do. The stories are in better touch with my emotions than I am)

In the meantime, The Firebird and Other Stories, the book of Beings shorts is out in September, I believe. Maybe late August, but I don't think so. The editing is done. Waiting on the cover (dying) and the final inspection. I've been debating doing a playlist or something for it, but many of the music/playlist services, um, suck, so I don't know. I just wanna talk about itttt and I can't yet. It's agony I tell you.

And then um, someone asked about Zoe, from Little Wolf. Over on tumblr I get questions sometimes about Charlie and Will, or Wicklow and Rhoades, or Amelia and Pilar (or Louis and Amelia, or Louis and Amelia and Pilar), but not Zoe. And it was funny, because my beta and I were just talking about Zoe meeting her mate. And the resulting discussion on tumblr about the lack of lady werewolves, plus a general agreement that Zoe is adorable, gave me thoughts.

So, since LJ doesn't allow long story posts anymore, I had to go the AO3 route, for now anyway...I wrote a story about Zoe meeting her mate. (It probably needs a thorough edit, but for now I am tired and pleased with myself for finishing it.)

I really do need to make a timeline or something for all the Beings. Because it takes so long for them get published after I write them that I always assume people have all the background on things when you don't. Like, um, there is some debate within the werewolf world that perhaps their commonly held beliefs about matings are incorrect. But I suppose you have to meet Diego for that.

That's a theme in the Beings stories anyway, I suppose. Poor confused babies. I just want all the little stories of them. All the arrogant, unthinking fairies and grumpity dragons and amnesiac werewolves and reluctant seers and trolls so fucking in love with you, Flor, how do you not see how in love with you he is aaahhhhh.